


After The Darkness Comes The Light

by Ellison1215



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 12:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14056626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellison1215/pseuds/Ellison1215
Summary: What would happen if Selina was there after Ivy poisoned Bruce? A one-shot from a prompt I received





	After The Darkness Comes The Light

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to Angela514 who gave me the prompt that inspired this story. It takes place after Jim Gordon saves Bruce from Ivy's toxin. I hope you guys enjoy!

“According to Lucious, Ivy’s toxin attacks the brain like a hallucinogen.” Jim said entering the study where Bruce had his back turned to him. “So, Whatever you went through, I doubt it was pleasant, but it wasn’t real.”

“ I think I saw who I really am.” Bruce said turning to look at Commissioner Gordon. “ I know what you’re going to say, but what I saw, it was real.”

“Well,then you’re lucky.” Gordon said. “Most people go their whole lives not knowing who they really are.”

“I’m not lucky.” Bruce snapped “ You didn’t see it.”

Jim stepped closer to Bruce “I’ve seen my own darkness,” He said before placing a comforting hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “I’ll say this, you have people around you, who care for you. Don’t fight this alone. Trust us.”

At Jim’s words, Bruce’s mind filled with images of the two people he was sure Jim was referring to. The people who’ve done so much for him. People who he’s pushed away. People he’d be lucky to have ever talk to him again after the way he’s acted.

“I’ll leave men outside tonight. I’ll come by tomorrow, check in on you.” His words gave Bruce a glimmer of hope, but it was fleeing as fast as it came.

Jim made his way out but was stopped by Bruce calling his name.

“When I was under, I saw you” Bruce said making Jim cock his head. “You had a mustache.”

Jim couldn’t hide the surprise on his face as his fingers brushed across his lips. “ Well clearly that's a very dangerous toxin.” He said before making his exit.

Bruce had a ghost of a smile on his lips before pulling out his phone. His fingers trembled as he dialed the familiar number. He could feel his heartbeat in his eardrums as the phone ringed.

He let out a sigh of relief as he heard his butler’s voice, even though it was an answering machine, it still felt great. “Alfred, it’s… it’s me...it’s Bruce. I need your help Alfred. Please call me.” 

As he ended the call, he stared out his terrace at the dark night sky. It matched how his soul felt, dark and alone. 

He was so caught up with his own emotions that he didn’t notice the intruder observing him from the hallway.

* * *

Bruce tried to sleep, but he kept tossing and turning in his bed. The remnants of Ivy’s toxin plaguing his brain. But that wasn’t the only reason he couldn’t sleep.

Bruce was full of nerves waiting for Alfred’s response to his voicemail. If he responds at all.

Bruce wouldn’t fault Alfred if he ignored him. The last words he said to his butler still haunt him. He was awful to him, he’s been so awful to everyone around him. Bruce’s mind drifted from his last encounter with Alfred to his last encounter with… Selina.

Bruce cringed as he thought about the last time he saw her at the sirens club. He acted like such a drunken idiot, and that was putting it lightly.

He’ll never forget the look on her face when she saw him around all those women. She didn’t seem jealous or upset, she just looked … disappointed.

If he was being he honest he was disappointed in himself too. In how he chose to cover up his grief with the drinking, and the partying, and... the girls. He knew it wasn’t right or fair, but he couldn’t help but compare any girl he was with to Selina. 

None of them even came close to her. They were all over him, laughing and smiling at his lame jokes, only because he was paying for the next round of shots. They only cared about his money, Selina was never like that.

She’s shown that she cares about him. Like the time she saved him from Galavan or the time she defended him against Sonny and his goons. Or when she came to the hospital to see how he was after he stabbed Alfred and put him in the hospital. He still felt guilty over how he responded in anger to her kind gesture.

He could trust her. He felt comfortable talking to her about anything, because he knew she’d understand. He also trusted her with things he knew he couldn’t go to Alfred with. Like getting the key off of a Wayne Enterprise exec or setting up the trap to get the truth out of Silver. 

Probably the biggest distinction between Selina and the other girls, who all paled in her comparison, was her ability to call him on his crap and put him back in his place all in one motion. She was able to see right through him it at the club that night. She knew that wasn’t the real him and she cared enough to call him out on it,like no one else could. 

But now she was gone and Bruce doubted she would come back anytime soon.

Bruce continued to thrash around in his bed as his thoughts attacked him. Losing Alfred was bad enough but the idea of Alfred and Selina out of his life, forever, terrified him. 

After a few more moments of thrashing, Bruce shot up in a sitting position in his bed. His breathing rapid, he didn’t know what a panic attack felt like but he was sure he was experiencing one right now. 

Before it could escalate any further, a slight movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. At first he thought it was his imagination until he saw the movement again. It was faint, barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but with all the practice he’s had, he could spot suspicious behavior a mile away.

“Who’s there?” Bruce called out swinging his legs so he could get into a fighting stance if need be. The fear that Ivy came back to finish the job creeped in the back of his mind. “Ivy, if it’s you Captain Gordon has guards outside the manor and he can get here any-”

“Oh would you shut the hell up?” Selina said, coming out of the shadows.

“Selina?” Bruce said in disbelief. At first he thought this was still the after effects of toxins.

“ You’d think nearly dying would make you less annoying but I actually think it did the opposite.” Maybe he wasn’t hallucinating after all.

“Selina,” he still couldn’t believe his eyes, it was as if his thoughts about her manifested into her actually being here. “ wh-what are you doing here?”

She scoffed as if it was insulting for him to ask why she broke into his house. Only she could make him feel like the ridiculous one in a situation like this.

“I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d stop by like old times. .” She said, her words dripping in her trademark sarcasm and sass.

“Selina…” he sighed. “Please?”

She rolled her eyes. “ I heard about Ivy attacking you and I wanted see you for myself.”

“ So you came because you were worried about me?” Bruce was sure the hopefulness in his voice showed.

“I came to see if you were actually dead, that’s the only reason. It’s not like i actually cared” She made her way across his room, her back turned to him in hopes that he couldn’t see her lying. “But now Gordon has this place surrounded by cops. I’ve been trying to find a way out of here without being caught for hours.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see you tossing and turning like a fish out of water Let me guess, another one of your weird nightmares?”

When Bruce and Selina lived on the streets together he would often have nightmares in the middle of the night. Selina would often comfort him from when he woke drenched in sweat and panting from the nightmare he just had. They would never talk about it come morning.

Bruce blushed at the reminder of the memory. “No, I was thinking… about Alfred and ...you.”

Selina snickered. “Yeah right.”

“It’s true. I was scared I lost you.”

Selina rolled her eyes again. “ You didn’t seem worried about ‘losing me’ the last time you saw me. If I recall correctly, you were a total ass.” 

Bruce sighed. “Selina…”

“Just forget it. I'm out of here, cuz the risk of getting caught is a lot better than being stuck with your pathetic ass.” 

As Selina walked towards the window Bruce felt his heart stop at the idea of her slipping through his fingers again. “Selina wait” Bruce said leaping up in a full standing position. 

Selina reluctantly turned around to meet his eye. He looked awful, his hair a mess, his eyes bloodshot, he looked so lost and alone. She hated it.

“Please don't go. I’ll do anything just … please stay.” 

She narrowed her eyes at the boy, now young man, she’s known for years. The one who she was scared to death had died. The one she would do anything for. Anything.

“Fine I’ll stay, but on one condition.”

“Anything” Bruce said

“I want to know why.”

“Why?” 

“I want to know why you fired Alfred? Why you’ve been so secretive? And most importantly why you’ve been acting like an obnoxious jerk?”

Bruce felt hesitation creeping in. “Selina I don't think-”

“Either you tell me the truth, all of it, or I’m gone” Selina crossed her arms.

Bruce sighed knowing Selina was going to be stubborn about this. “You might want to sit down, it's kind of a long story.”

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” Selina said pacing back and forth with Bruce’s head following her movements. “You killed this Ray dude.”

“Ra’s Al Ghul” Bruce corrected 

“Whatever,” Selina dismissed with the wave of her hand. “ You start drinking and partying to distract yourself from your guilt. Alfred tries to stop you, you guys get into a fight, he hits you -which it seems like you deserved,by the way.”

Bruce lowered his head in shame before Selina continued.

“Then you got emancipated, fired Alfred. You continue drinking and partying until Ivy came, nearly killed you, and now you’ve realized you need help. Got everything?”

Bruce nodded, embarrassed after hearing all the horrible things he’s done relayed back to him.”Pretty much.”

“Damn, and I thought my life was a train wreck.”

Bruce sighed. “ I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Oh no, I understand. I understand that you did a bad thing,but instead of facing it, you pushed away one of the last person who actually gave a damn about you.”

At her words, Bruce leaped into a standing position. His face had turned from passive to outraged in an instant as he towered over. “ You don't think I know that?! You don't think I know that the last person who actually cared about me is gone? I know that Selina, and it-” a sob made him choke on his words.

After weeks battling he couldn’t fight it anymore. All the pain and grief he’s been trying to avoid hit him all at once. His knees were too weak to support him and he sunk down on his bed, his head in his hands. He was fighting a lose battle with his pride as he felt the tears come down his cheeks.

He sensed a shift on the bed next to him on the bed, he knew it was her but he didn't look at her. He was too ashamed. She didn't say anything, but he felt her stroke her hand up and down his back soothingly. As if he was one of her cats. It felt good.

They sat in silence as he let the long held back tears fall. After a few moments she felt his breathing coming back to normal. ”You good?”

He nodded and wiped away the remaining tears

“I’m sorry, I was little harsh.”

“I deserved it.” 

“Yeah, but still”

He rested his head against her shoulder, as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I don’t know why I do half the things I do.”

“Because you’re an idiot.” Her words seemed harsh but her tone was teasing, even a little affectionate. He noticed and it brought a small smile to his face.

“ But you have the right to be,” Selina continued. “ you’ve been through your fair share of crap. You get to make some mistakes.”

“They were some pretty big mistakes.” 

“Bruce, we’re all screwed up okay? we’re all just trying to survive in this crazy city. You’re not that different.”

“But what if Alfred never wants to see me? After what i’ve done, what i’ve said.”

“Look Bruce, I hate to agree with Gordon, but he's right. You have people in your life that care about you and they’ll forgive you, even if you don't deserve it.”

Bruce lifted his head off her shoulder to look into her eyes. “What about you? Are you one of those people?”

Selina stared back into his eyes. They looked so soft but strong, hopeful but scared. She hated to admit it, but she had missed him.

“Shut up,” she said before pressing her lips to his. 

He was shocked at first but that soon faded as he kissed her back ferociously. To say she was surprised would be the understatement of the century. In the past she had always been the more dominant one, but now he was meeting her stride for stride.

They kissed for a few minutes, both fighting for dominance in a battle where they were both the winner. His hand found its way to caress her cheek, while her fingers combed through his hair, tugging it at times. He liked it.

Finally they separated out of need for oxygen, close enough to hear each other's breathing. They were panting.

He grinned like an idiot. “Was that your way of saying you forgive me?”

She rolled her eyes and pushed him so his back hit his mountain of pillows. “Was that your way of apologizing?”

His grin faded a bit. “I’m sorry. I was insensitive and hurtful and for that i’m truly.”

“Yeah,yeah.” She interrupted. “You were an ass, you regret it. We’re cool. Okay?” 

“Okay” he smiled. 

“Now we should probably go to bed. You look like crap.”

He was about to argue but then realized she was probably right.

“Now can I stay in one of your thousands of guests rooms until Gordon’s worker monkeys leave?”

“Of course, you can stay in one of the guest rooms … or you could sleep here?” He bit his lip out of nerves.

She narrowed her eyes at his nervous form. He’s become a lot bolder over the years, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it.

Under her gaze Bruce began to backtrack. “I meant it totally platonically, I wasn’t trying to suggest anything. If you want to stay in the guestroom or if I offended you-”

She kicked off her boots and made her way to the opposite side of the bed. “Rule #1 when you say something stand by it, don’t try to backpedal.”

Bruce smirked as she slid underneath the covers and he did the same. “ I thought Rule #1 was to never tell you what to do.”

“ I can change the order of the rules whenever I feel like it. Also, new rule, never correct me.” She turned her back towards him.

She was just about to drift off when she felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. The idea of cuddling with Bruce Wayne made her stiffen immediately. If Tabitha and Barbara could see her right now, she would never hear the end of it.

He must of noticed her nervous state, because she soon felt his warm breath on the back of her neck as he whispered. “Relax”

After a few minutes she was finally able to calm her nerves enough to the point where all she was thinking about was sleep. “If you snore I’m going to jab you in the rib.”

He chuckled. “Fair.”

Before long she drifted to sleep and with her in his arms he did too. The best night’s sleep he had in a long time.

* * *

For the first time in weeks Bruce didn’t wake up with a massive hangover, a pounding headache, and a house full of remaining party guests too busy being passed out or puking their lungs out to go home.

A small smile appeared on his face as the memories of last night with Selina flashed through his mind. The smile faded when he realized his arms wasn’t wrapped around Selina, it felt too soft. When Bruce opened his eyes, instead of finding his arms around Selina, they were wrapped around a pillow.

He looked around the room and smiled when he found Selina putting her boots on the edge at the bed.

“Good morning” He said with a small smile and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Selina turned to look at him. “ Hey sleeping beauty, sleep well?”

“Yeah, i really did. You were gonna go without saying goodbye?” He tried his best not to sound too upset. 

“Well Gordon’s men are gone, so I thought i’d leave before Gordon got here. I kind of escaped his custody last night and i doubt he’d too happy to see me now.”

“ So I guess that's a no to staying for breakfast?” 

Selina smiled. “I got to get back before Tabitha and Barbara get on my ass about where i’ve been. I’m really not in the mood for an interrogation from them”

Selina made her way to the window and Bruce followed. “When will I see you again?”

Selina shrugged. “I’ll be around. Besides you have other important things to take care of.” 

Bruce swallowed knowing what she was referring to. “What if he doesn't-”

“Don't even start. You got me back, you’ll be able to get your butler back too.”

Bruce couldn't stop the smirk that manifested onto his face. “I got you back?”

She rolled her eyes. “Shut up” 

She opened the window, ready to jump out but not before gripping his shirt to pull him in for a quick kiss. 

“See you later Bruce.” Then she was gone.

He smiled as he watched her leave into the morning sunlight. He felt like the darkness that had been cast over his life was finally passing.

His thoughts were interrupted by a ringing sound. 

What was that?

He turned to see it was his cellphone on the nightstand. When he saw the caller ID he felt his heart start to race.

With shaking hands he answered the phone.

“Hello Alfred, I wanted to see you.” 

The light was finally shining.

**Author's Note:**

> Again thanks to Angela514 for the suggestion. Seriously if you guys have any Bruce and Selina related prompts let me know, who knows I might be inspired to write one. :) Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!


End file.
